Union County, NJ Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Section 115-7 of the Public Safety Code governs fires, charcoal grills, and barbecues on any property the County of Union owns or controls. Subsection A bars kindling or maintaining an open fire anywhere in a county park or recreational facility unless it is in a fireplace structure built for that purpose; charcoal grills and barbecues are the exception, permitted only if they are of an approved type and used in the areas the county has designated for charcoal or barbecue cooking. Subsection B fixes a ten-foot buffer: no fire, grill, or barbecue may be built within ten feet of any tree or building, or beneath tree branches, or in underbrush.

Subsection C requires continuous supervision by a competent person from the moment the fire is kindled until it is fully extinguished, and that person must put it out completely before leaving. A Union County Police officer who judges a fire dangerous, or likely to become so, can order it extinguished immediately under subsection E; refusing that order is itself a violation and revokes any permit the person holds. Discarding a lit match, cigar, or cigarette against a building or under a tree or in underbrush is separately barred under subsection D.

Picnic grove use requires its own permit from the Director of Parks and Recreation under subsection F, issued separately from any permit to possess or consume alcohol. This chapter governs cooking equipment on county park and recreation property; it says nothing about grills or propane tanks on a private balcony or apartment patio, which is a matter for each municipality's own fire code and, where applicable, a landlord's lease terms.